Pagani Zonda Revolution – Going out with a Bang

by ccaldwell@fibreglast.com

The niche hypercar maker’s original model, the Pagani Zonda, is set to have a special production run limited to 5 examples for a final send-off.

Pagani introduced the Huayra— a model intended to replace the Zonda in 2011, but that didn’t mean Horacio Pagani was finished perfecting his first creation. Pagani felt it was important for the car that launched his exotic car company to go out with a bang. Enter the Pagani Zonda Revolution- a $2.9 Million special edition which incorporates over a decade’s worth of technological and performance enhancements, pushing the envelope to it’s breaking point.

Pagani’s previous intrepids included working for Lamborghini and founding the Pagani Composite Research, which was instrumental in developing the specialized carbon-titanium hybrid fabric (coined Carbotanium by Pagani himself) used in the monocoque chasis of this monster of a car. This special reinforcement causes parts to approach maximum yield strength and fail at similar amounts of strain, essentially blending the properties of carbon fiber and titanium. Best of all, the resulting combination has better attributes than either part alone.

Weighing in at around 2,360 pounds and offering up a 6.0L AMG-sourced V12 that is tuned to develop 800 horsepower and 550lb-ft of torque, the Zonda Revolution has a power-to-weight ratio of 748hp/ton. Don’t mistake this carbon fiber masterpiece for a one-trick pony. This road rocket packs a 6-speed magnesium transversal and sequential gearbox (20ms shift time), a 12-setting traction control system, and a drag reduction system (DRS) not dissimilar from those commonly found on Formula1 cars.

The aerodynamics package isn’t limited to the active DRS. Look over the car and you will see carbon fiber deflectors out front and a vertical stabilizer mounted in the rear. Add in some next-generation carbon-ceramic brakes and ultra-sticky Pirelli tires and you arrive at a bare-carbon skinned send-off model that Horacio will sign himself.